Refrigerator shelf guards

ABSTRACT

A shelf guard or fencing system for refrigerators comprising a fence-like barrier member for ready connection to and disconnection from the front edges of refrigerator shelves for the purpose of preventing food items and the like from falling off of the shelves due to tipping of the refrigerator, as occurs on occasion with trailers and mobile homes. The shelf guard is provided with novel means for connecting it to the refrigerator shelves and the guard is adjustable as to width to adapt it to various sizes of refrigerators.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,752,324 Moser Aug. 14, 1973 [54] REFRI ERATOR SHELF GUARDS 472,621 12/1935 Great Britain 211/119 Inventor: Howard P Moser 685 E. second 1,128,862 4/1956 France 312/291 Sonoma, Calif. 95476 [22] Filed: Aug. 13, 1971 Primary Examiner-Ramon S. Britts [21] pp NOI: 171,617 Attorney-Jae. M. Naylor et a1.

[52] US. Cl 211/153, 211/181, 312/291 [51] Int. Cl. A47! 5/00 [57] ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 211/181, 153, 184,

A shelf guard or fencing system for refrigerators com- 108/271 60; 5/331 prising a fence-like barrier member for ready connection to and disconnection from the front edges of re- 1 Refel'mces Cited frigerator shelves for the purpose of preventing food UNITED STATES PATENTS items and the like from falling ofi of the shelves due to 864,114 8/1907 wheary 211/44 X tipping of the refrigerator, as occurs on occasion with 573,835 12/1896 Taylor.... 211 119 trailers and mobile homes. The shelf guard is provided 1,962,205 6/1934 Murray 211/181 X with novel means for connecting it to the refrigerator 2,040,634 5/ 193 Sekyra 312/291 UX shelves and the guard is adjustable as to width to adapt 2,246,580 Farmer H153 it to various sizes of refrigerators FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,311,941 11/1962 France 211/123 "GfidiEEJDrawiiI fig uI-E Patented Aug. 14, 1973 3,752,324

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I 5 INVENTOR.

HOWARD MOSER f g ATTOKNEVS REFRIGERATOR SHELF GUARDS Among the objects and advantages of the invention are the following: the provision of a lightweight and relatively inexpensive refrigerator shelf guard; the provision of a shelf guard which can be readily attached and disattached to the refrigerator shelves but which will not become accidentally disattached therefrom as the vehicle carrying the refrigerator is subjected to turning and tilting movements; the provision of a refrigerator shelf guard comprising complemental upper and lower sections which together prevent the removal of stored items from the shelves throughout the height of the refrigerator shelf area; and the provision of a refrigerator shelf guard which is adjustable in width in accordance with the shelf width of a particular refrigerator.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings forming part of the specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a refrigerator and one of the shelf guards of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in section taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view, partly broken away, taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a further embodiment of the shelf guard of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in section taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG, 6 is an enlarged view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 3, the refrigerator 10 is a conventional one having a plurality of wire grid shelves l2, l4 and 16 comprised of forward edge members 18 and front to rear support members 20. The shelf guard comprises an upper section 22 and a lower section 24.

Upper section 22 comprises vertical members 26 and horizontal members 28, the latter being formed of two pieces having their ends extending into a sleeve member 30. As indicated in FIG. 3, the sleeve member 30 may be permanently attached to one of the pieces 28 and have a sliding fit with the other piece 28, thereby enabling the distance between the pair of uprights 26 to be varied in accordance with the width of the refrigerator shelves. The uprights 26 are inwardly bent at 32 above the upper shelf 12 and they are provided with portions 34 which extend below shelf 14. Secured to the uprights 22 are hooks 36 which are inwardly offset from the uprights and adapted to be hooked over a pair of shelf wires 20 to position and support the upper shelf guard section. It will be appreciated from FIG. 2 that the upper section 22 is secured by its relation to shelves l2 and 14 in such a manner as to prevent shelf items from falling off of shelves 12 and 14 regardless of the degree to which the refrigerator turns or tilts under movement of the vehicle containing it.

The lower section 24 of the shelf guard comprises a pair of upright members 40, similar cross members 28 having extension sleeves 30, and hooks 42 which are offset rearwardly from the upright members 40 and adapted to be suspended from shelf wire elements 20.

The upper and lower sections 22 and 24 are shown as overlapping in the region of shelf 14.

F IGS. 4 6 show a further embodiment of the invention comprising a pair of upright elements 50, pairs of cross member elements 52 slidably disposed within extension sleeves 54, offset hooks 56 adapted to be attached over a pair of shelf elements 20, inwardly bent portions 58 for the upright elements 50, loops 60 formed in elements 50 adjacent the upper ends of bent portions 58, and free ends 62 for the upright elements 50. Bent portions 58-are adapted to extend inwardly of the front edge member 18 of upper shelf 12, and in this manner this embodiment of the shelf guard is locked in place by its interconnection with upper and lower shelves l2 and 16. This particular shelf guard further comprises a removable top cross member 64 comprised of identical pieces 66 fitted within extension sleeve 68 and having loops 70 at their outer ends whereby the top member may be attached to the upper end 62 of the upright members 50 and supported by the underlying kinks or loops 60.

What is claimed is:

l. A refrigerator shelf guard in combination with one or more wire grid refrigerator shelves having front to rear wires, said shelf guard comprising a pair of spaced parallel vertical rod members, a plurality of vertically spaced parallel horizontal rod members interconnecting the vertical members, and connector members attached directly to and carried by said vertical rod members connecting the shelf guard to a said refrigerator shelves, said connector members comprising hooks rearwardly offset from said vertical rod members, said hooks being positioned and oriented with the axes of the eyes thereof being parallel to said front to rear wires and being perpendicular to said vertical rod members, whereby said eyes receive said front to rear wires of said wire grid shelves and forward edge wires of said wire grid shelves are captured between said hooks and said vertical rod members thereby locking the shelf guard to the shelf.

2. The shelf guard of claim 1, including means for adjusting the length of said horizontal rod members.

3. The shelf guard of claim 3, said means comprising multiple section formation of said horizontal rod members and sleeve members connecting the multiple sections.

4. A refrigerator shelf guard comprising a pair of spaced parallel vertical rod members, said members having integral loops forming stop members adjacent but below their upper ends, a horizontal rod member having loops formed in its ends, said loops being adapted to fit over the upper ends of said vertical rod members and to be positioned against said stop members.

5. The shelf guard of claim 4, including other horizontal rod members fixedly attached to said vertical rod members below said stop members.

6. The shelf guard of claim 5, all of said horizontal rod members including means for adjusting the length thereof.

* II I 

1. A refrigerator shelf guard in combination with one or more wire grid refrigerator shelves having front to rear wires, said shelf guard comprising a pair of spaced parallel vertical rod members, a plurality of vertically spaced parallel horizontal rod members interconnecting the vertical members, and connector members attached directly to and carried by said vertical rod members connecting the shelf guard to a said refrigerator shelves, said connector members comprising hooks rearwardly offset from said vertical rod members, said hooks being positioned and oriented with the axes of the eyes thereof being parallel to said front to rear wires and being perpendicular to said vertical rod members, whereby said eyes receive said front to rear wires of said wire grid shelves and forward edge wires of said wire grid shelves are captured between said hooks and said vertical rod members thereby locking the shelf guard to the shelf.
 2. The shelf guard of claim 1, including means for adjusting the length of said horizontal rod members.
 3. The shelf guard of claim 3, said means comprising multiple section formation of said horizontal rod members and sleeve members connecting the multiple sections.
 4. A refrigerator shelf guard comprising a pair of spaced parallel vertical rod members, said members having integral loops forming stop members adjacent but below their upper ends, a horizontal rod member having loops formed in its ends, said loops being adapted to fit over the upper ends of said vertical rod members and to be positioned against said stop members.
 5. The shelf guard of claim 4, including other horizontal rod members fixedly attached to said vertical rod members below said stop members.
 6. The shelf guard of claim 5, all of said horizontal rod members including means for adjusting the length thereof. 